Bubble bath preparation



United States Patent 3,328,307 BUBBLE BATH PREPARATION Adolf Schmitz, Essen, Germany, assignor to Th. Goldschmidt A.G., Essen, Germany N0 Drawing. Filed Nov. 20, 1963, Ser. No. 325,162

Claims priority, applicatiog Germany, Dec. 13, 1962,

5 Claims. (Cl. 252-166) This invention generally relates to .bath preparations and is particularly directed to a bath preparation which is capable of forming a dense and stable foam on the bath surface.

In recent years, a large variety of bath preparations have become available on the market which, dependent on their composition, have a water softening effect, scent the bath water and/ or color the bath water to a desired hue. Usually such bath preparations also have a body cleaning effect. Some of the bath preparations presently available on the market also contain cosmetic and/or medical ingredients and thus exert an envigorating and/ or skin treating action. The usual bath preparations are either marketed in solid powder form or they have an aqueous or oily consistency.

The most popular bath preparations are those which form a dense foam on the bath surface when the preparation is placed in the path of a strong water jet, that is, if the solid powder or liquid is positioned under the bath tub faucet so that the water impinges With great force on the preparation. Such preparations are usually referred to as bubble or foam bath preparations. The foam forming components of the prior art preparations of this kind customarily consist of anionic surface active agents, as, for example, sodium or triethanolaminelauryl sulfate. While these known preparations have gained consumer acceptance in recent years and are very popular particularly with children, these known preparations have the drawback that they are not compatible with soap so that the foam which is initially formed on the bath surface rapidly collapses upon contact with soap or soapcontaining liquid. This disadvantage of the prior art preparations is Well known 'by users of bubble or foam bath preparations and is oftentimes utilized by children who advance it as a reason for resisting washing with soap during bathing.

Accordingly, it is a primary object of this invention to provide for a bubble bath preparation which is compatible with soap so that the foam on the bath is not affected by the use and presence of soap in the bath liquid.

Another object of the invention is to provide for a bath preparation which is capable of producing a dense and stable foam of superior quality and which generally has superior characteristics.

Another object of the invention is to provide for a bath preparation which is capable of producing a dense and stable foam which does not significantly irritate the eyes, is not toxic and is therefore particularly suitable for use by children.

Generally it is an object of this invention to improve on the art of bath preparations as presently available.

It is also an object of this invention to provide a bath preparation which does not irritate the skin so that it can be used by persons With sensitive skin and complexion.

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Briefly, and in accordance with this invention, it has been ascertained that a superior bath preparation is obtained if it comprises as active ingredient a surface active compound of the general formula R -C ONE (CH x-IIH-(CHz) yC 00- In this formula, R is the alkyl moiety of a fatty acid of from 10 to 18 carbon atoms, R and R are the same or different and designate alkyl or hydroxyalkyl of 1 to 4 carbon atoms, x is 2 or 3 and y is 1, 2, 3 or 4.

It is most surprising that such compounds in extremely high dilution of about 1 to 100,000 as they are employed for bathing purposes are capable of forming a stable soap-resistant foam.

A particularly advantageous characteristic of the inventive bath preparation is that the compounds are not toxic and do not irritate human skin. For this reason, the inventive .bath preparations are particularly suitable for use by children since the irritation effects of the inventive products on the eyes are exceedingly small and from a practical point of View may be disregarded. Moreover, it should be emphasized that the inventive bath preparation has bactericidal activity. Experiments have conclusively established that a bath containing one part of the inventive bath preparation per one hundred thousand parts of water effectively prevents the growth of the highly pathogenic Staphylococcus aureus haemolyticzls which, as is known, tends to cause skin irritations. Another important advantage of the inventive bath preparation is that it prevents the formation of the so-called bathtub ring, that is the deposit of calcium soaps intermingled with dirt which is usually formed at the location of the bath water level.

As the fatty moiety of the inventive compound, it is generally preferred to use the alkyl group of lau-ric acid;

however, mixtures of alkyl groups of varying chain length are also suitable and may be successfully employed.

Particularly excellent results are obtained if the bath preparation contains as active ingredient a mixture of lauroylamidopropyl-N-dimethyl aminoacetic acid with stearoylamidopropyl-N-dimethylamino acetic acid in a weight ratio of about 2:1. It may be assumed that in this mixture the lauroylamidopropyl-N-dimethylaminoacetic acid exerts the predominant foam forming action while the stearoylamidopropyl-N-dimethylaminoacetic acid primarily has a foam stabilizing action. Of course, the bath preparation may be admixed with additional ingredients such as scenting agents, for example perfume, etheral oils, etc., salts, carriers and the like.

The inventive preparation may be used in the form of aqueous solutions. However, by admixing the inventive compound with thickeners or carriers, products in paste, powder or tablet form may be obtained and the preparations may be marketed in this manner. The active ingredients of the bath preparation may be prepared by known processes.

The invention will now be described by several examples, it being understood, however, that these examples are given by way of illustration and not by way of limitation and that many changes may be effected without afiecting in any way the scope and spirit of this invention as recited in the appended claims.

3 :Example I to a pH value of 5 by addition of phosphoric acid. 20 to i 30 milliliters of this solution yield an excellent bubble bath which is stable against soap.

Example 11 A 30% aqueous solution which was obtained according to the procedure described in Example I was admixed with an amount of urea sufiicient so that upon careful concentration of the solution to solid state, a solid mixture of the two substances at the weight ratio of 3:5 was obtained. Five parts of ordinary sodium chloride, five parts of sodium bicarbonate, one to two parts of tartaric acid, 0.5 part of pine needle oil and a small amount of fiuorescine were added to ten parts of this mixture. The mixture was well mixed and was thereafter compressed into tablet form. A tablet was then positioned in the path of a strong water jet running into a bath tub. A well scented bubble bath with simultaneous carbon dioxide formation was formed.

Example III A buble bath resistant to soap was produced with 20 to 30 cubic centimeters of a solution which had been prepared in the following manner: N-dioxethylpropanediamine-1,3 is aminated with a fatty acid mixture consisting of two parts of lauric acid and one part of stea-ric acid, the amination being effected at the primary amino group. Quaternization was then effected at the tertiary amino group with sodium chloroacetate. The final product was deodorized with steam. A 30% aqueous solution of the final product was prepared which was scented with pine needle oil.

Example IV N-dimethylethylenediamine which is treated in accordance with the procedure described in Example I yields a product which is superiorly suitable for the preparation of a soap stable foam bath.

While specific embodiments of the invention have been shown and described in detail to illustrate the application of the inventive principles, it will be understood that the invention may be embodied otherwise without departing from such principles.

What is claimed is:

1. A bubble bath composition essentially consisting of an inert carrier selected from the group consisting of water, urea, sodium chloride and sodium bicarbonate, a

scenting agent and as active ingredient a surface active compound of the general formula wherein R is the alkyl moiety of a fatty acid having 10 to 18 carbon atoms, R and R are selected from the group consisting of alkyl of 1 to 4 carbon atoms and hydroxyalkyl of 1 to 4 carbon atoms, x is one of 2 and 3 and y is one of 1, 2, 3 and 4.

2. A bubble preparation as claimed in claim 1, wherein the scenting agent is pine needle oil.

3. A bubble bath composition as claimed in claim 1, wherein the active ingredient is a mixture of lauroylamidopropyl-N-dimethylarninoacetic acid with stearoylamidopropyl-N-dimet'hylaminoacetic acid in a Weight ratio of about 2:1.

4. .A method of preparing a foam bath which comprises positioning in the path of a stream of water running into a bath tub a compound of the formula wherein R is the alkyl moiety of a fatty acid having 10 to 18 carbon atoms, R and R are selected from the group consisting of alkyl of 1 to 4 carbon atoms and hydroxyalkyl of 1 to 4 carbon atoms, x is one of 2 and 3 and y is one of 1, 2, 3 and 4, to obtain a bath solution wherein the ratio of said compound to the amount of water is about 1:100,000.

5. A method of preparing a foam bath which comprises positioning in the path of a jet of water a mixture of lauroylamidopropyl-N-dimethylaminoacetic acid and stea-roylamidopropyl-N-dimethylaminoacetic acid in a weight ratio of about 2: 1.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 5/ 9 Vitalis 260404.5 X

OTHER REFERENCES LEON D. ROSDOL, Primary Examiner.

' ALBERT T. MEYERS, Examiner.

S. E. DARDEN, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A BUBBLE BATH COMPOSITION ESSENTIALLY CONSISTING OF AN INERT CARRIER SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF WATER, UREA, SODIUM CHLORIDE AND SODIUM BICARBONATE, A SCENTING AGENT AND AS ACTIVE INGREDIENT A SURFACE ACTIVE COMPOUND OF THE GENERAL FORMULA 